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The United States becomes neutral in the war. This effected the United States by not putting us at risk and danger. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was going to be the next king and was going to inherit the Austrian throne, he was with his wife, they were visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia. A bomb is thrown at their auto but misses. They continue their visit only to be shot and killed a short time later by a lone assassin. Believing the assassin to be a Serbian nationalist, the Austrians target their anger toward Serbia. This is significant because there was no new Austrian king. -
A German U-Boat explodes the British passenger liner Lusitania off the Irish coast. It sinks in 18 minutes, drowning 1,201 persons, including 128 Americans. It was significant because many Americans died also, President Woodrow Wilson subsequently sends four diplomatic protests to Germany. -
American voters re-elect President Woodrow Wilson who had campaigned on the slogan, "He kept us out of war." Marks who got President in 1916 shows who Americans trusts. -
The British intercept a telegram sent by Alfred Zimmermann. It's saying plans for an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States. It said, Germany would provide tactical support while Mexico would benefit by expanding into the American Southwest, retrieving territories that had once been part of Mexico. The Zimmermann telegram is passed along by the British to the Americans and is then made public. This is significant because Americans knew what their plan was. -
The United States of America declares war on Germany. This is important because it's the start of America vs Germany. -
The first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France at the port of Saint Nazaire. The landing site had been kept secret because of the menace of German submarines. This significant because this was the start of Americas defending France. -
The Sedition Act covered a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. This is important because it could throw American soldiers off and they can't have that to win. -
The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed officially ending World War I. Of note, on the same day, five-years earlier the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated at Sarajevo, Bosnia, starting the war. This is important because the war is officially over with no if, buts, or how. -
At 5:10 am, in a railway car at Compiègne, France, the Germans sign the Armistice which is effective at 11 am the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Fighting continues all along the Western Front until precisely 11 o'clock, with 2,000 casualties experienced that day by all sides. Artillery barrages also erupt as 11 am draws near as soldiers yearn to claim they fired the very last shot in the war. This is significant because the war is over.
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